No Hidden Cameras
by cuore ridente
Summary: [John Tucker Must Die] Kate had become a legend by teaching John Tucker a lesson, but it didn't mean that things were going to settle down for her. New romantic challenges face Kate and the rest of the gang. I FINALLY UPDATED! CHAPTER SIX!
1. The Two Kinds of Chemistry: Kate's POV

No Hidden Cameras

Chapter One: The Two Kinds of Chemistry

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It's hard to say that life went back to normal after my encounter with John Tucker. I mean, that would be the ideal thing to say, right? But things were now much different for Forest Hills High and for me. Things had changed.

John still hadn't exactly understood that most girls don't like their boyfriends dating someone else at the same time. Even so, girls were still lining up to take the next empty slot to date him. I didn't understand it. Sure, he was finally being honest, but it still made him seem like a pig. But I won't deny that I actually talked to him every now and then. Usually it was just a conversation to catch up on things, but it was nice conversation nonetheless.

Beth, Carrie, Heather, and I became closer, the cliques mixing and people becoming genuinely friendly to each other. It was really nice because the original tension was not as strong, plus I was making a lot of friends. Not just acquaintances from being known, but actual, real friends. But I still wasn't as close to anyone as much as the three girls. I think it was our different personalities that made us work; we each brought something to the table.

The biggest thing probably had to be that Mom finally found a guy who would stay with her longer than a few months. It had kind of been hard to call him Skip, considering that he was my chemistry teacher, Mr. Conrad. They met at the supermarket, imagine that. "He has a way with..._chemistry_," Mom once said to me. I almost threw up after she said that. It was like, "Bad mental images!" But I found out that he was actually pretty nice once I got to know him. Plus, it was always useful to have a little extra help on chemistry homework.

Chemistry class is actually where things started getting interesting again. It all started when we got our more recent tests back; individual tests, by the way. I received my expected _A_, but my lab partner was another story. I could tell by the expression on his face that he hadn't received a similar grade.

I looked over at him, his face buried in his hands, and asked, "How'd you do, Scott?"

He peaked out through the gaps in his fingers and said, "The only reason you'd ask that is so I'll ask you how you did and you'll get to flaunt your good grade in my face."

"And how do you know I got a good grade?" I played back.

"Because otherwise, you'd probably have your face in your hands, too." I could see a smile creep out from behind his palm.

"Are you kidding me?" I retorted sarcastically, "The only reason I didn't is because I don't want to mess up my perfectly flawless makeup!"

"Flawless, huh?" Scott put his hands down and pointed to my face, "Then what's that?"

"Huh!? What!?" My hand flew to my face.

"That." He quickly dipped his hands in water and flung it at me, pleased with himself.

I put my hands on my hips. "Oh, ha, very funny, Scott Tucker. Enough sarcastic comments, what did you get?"

"A _D_," he replied simply. "An _A_, I assume?"

"Yeah." I could help but flush in modesty. "What screwed you up?"

"Who the hell knows?" He looked at the paper as though it was some kind of dead animal. "I'm surprised that I got a _D_, actually. I must've made better guesses than I thought."

I frowned. "But we've been covering this stuff for the past two weeks. Weren't you taking notes?"

"Well..." He stuck his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Alright, I guess I wasn't really paying attention."

"Distracted?" Mr. Conrad asked Scott as he walked by, handing out the last of the papers. Scott's expression didn't change, but I couldn't see Mr. Conrad's.

I quickly put it aside and went on to say, "Well, maybe it would help if you focused more on chemistry rather than the next music mix you're going to make."

He smiled. "Maybe."

I smiled back as Mr. Conrad's voice boomed throughout the room. "For those of you who excelled on this exam, good work. As for the rest of you, I suggest studying a little harder next time because if you fail to perform well on the next one, I wouldn't expect a passing grade for the quarter."

At this, Scott's smile faded away and turned into a scowl. "Fuck," I heard him curse under his breath. "What the hell am I going to do? That test is going to screw me over, too."

I tilted my head over to see his face. "Scott?"

"Miss Spencer, please save the conversation for after class," Mr. Conrad said.

"Sorry," I replied. Scott jokingly pointed at me and mouthed a _ha-ha_. I stuck my tongue out at him and turned away before I got too distracted.

During the whole John Tucker thing, I had become so worried about the plan that my grades had faltered a bit. So afterwards, I decided that schoolwork came first and social life second. With that in mind, I began to write down the first notes of the chapter (and making sure that Scott was doing so as well.)

On the way out of class, thirty minutes later, I said to Scott, "If you ever need help studying, you can always ask me."

He smiled again. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." With that, he walked in the other direction towards his next class.

Beth, Carrie, and Heather were waiting for me. When I walked up to them, Heather immediately fired the question. "Why don't you just ask him out, Kate?"

"Yeah, it's been two months," Carrie pitched in. "Everyone knows you two are perfect for each other."

"And it's _so_ obvious he likes you back," Beth added.

We went through this routine at least every other day. Alright, I knew I was being a chicken by not going for it, but I just didn't want to get involved in another relationship so soon. Okay, so the last one hadn't exactly been real, but I didn't feel ready to deal with figuring out the male species again, especially one with the last name of "Tucker". Besides, I'd say to myself, if he liked me, he should just ask _me_ out, shouldn't he? And because he hadn't in those past two months, I figured that he only liked me as a friend anyway.

"Well?" My three friends crossed their arms and looked at me, expecting an answer as usual.

"You already know what I'm going to say, so I'm not going to bother saying it for the millionth time." I tightened my grip around my books. "Besides, didn't you just hear what I said? I told him that he could come to me for study help."

"Yeah, he'll be doing some studying, all right," Heather commented, "on the female anatomy of a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl that I happen to know."

"Too bad it isn't health class," Beth played along.

I had turned away rolling my eyes, but only because I had turned a bright pink. It was like they wanted to _embarrass_ me into asking him out. I began to walk away, Carrie calling back, "Fine, be that way, Kate! But it's your loss!"

---

It seemed as though there was this empty void in my life ever since Mom had started going steady (for once). There was no chocolate anything in the house, and I usually snacked on it whenever I had a craving. So I decided to buy a huge carton of chocolate ice cream on the way home from school, and Mom was surprised to find me eating it when she walked into the kitchen that afternoon.

"You didn't tell me that you had a boyfriend," she said to me, dropping her keys on the kitchen counter. "I hope this one was actually serious."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Not everyone eats chocolate only when they get dumped, Mom. My love life is on hold for right now, thanks."

"Oh, really?" said Mr. Conrad as he walked in after Mom. "I should think otherwise."

"Is she keeping something from me?" Mom asked him giving him a peck on the cheek and looking back at me.

"Well, I was just going to say that there's more than one kind of chemistry going on in my class," Mr. Conrad replied nonchalantly, giving me a wink.

"Ooo, I want details!" Mom exclaimed as she leaned over the side of the counter. "Come on, Kate, there's no harm in telling me. I can keep a secret."

"For one thing," I began calmly, "I find it slightly weird for my chemistry teacher to be interested in my love life. Secondly, there is nothing going on, and he probably shouldn't overanalyze things."

"Well, last time I checked, I was dating your mother; therefore, I think I have somewhat of a right to be interested. And either you're in denial, or you just _under_analyze things." Mr. Conrad smirked.

"That's not even a word," I said, licking the last of the ice cream off my spoon. "If you will excuse me, I have some _chemistry_ homework I have to do." With that, I put the bowl and spoon into the sink and headed upstairs.

As I walked up, I heard the two of them talking. "Come on, tell me, Peter," I heard Mom's voice whine.

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," Mr. Conrad's voice replied, "I predict that her love life will be taken off hold within the month."

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**I have to say, I was really surprised that I decided to write fanfiction again, especially on a movie such as "John Tucker Must Die". Even though it was a chick flick, I was very unsatisfied with the ending, plus I found that it was quite easy to come up with a fanfiction plot.**

**Anyways, so what do you think? Think I should continue, or is it no good? If it's good, you better review, otherwise you probably won't be seeing more!**


	2. A New Adventure: Kate's POV

No Hidden Cameras

Chapter Two: A New Adventure

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I found it kind of ironic that Molly and I actually became good friends after the whole "cheerleader on top" incident. But she easily forgave me for that, and now she's the deserving girl on top of the pyramid.

I was waiting by the entrance of the gym the next day for Heather and Molly to finish cheerleading practice. There were a few basketball players hanging out in the hall waiting for the open gym that night once it would finish. And of course, one of them was John Tucker.

I didn't particularly feel like talking to John, but he spotted me and came over all the same. "Hey Kate, what's up?"

I turned my head in a flash with an "Oh, hey!" I gave a smile just to make it friendly.

"What's new with you? I haven't talked to you in awhile," he said, leaning against the wall next to me with a basketball under his arm.

"Well, you've always seemed too busy with your catches-of-the-day," I joked.

"Ha, ha, very funny," he sarcastically played along, flashing me one of his winning smiles. "So I hear that 'little miss legend' is single. Now how can that be? That's impossible."

"Well, last time I checked, it wasn't defying any laws of physics." I stopped myself. Oh crap, I was _definitely_ flirting with him.

"Well, I wouldn't know," he flirted back, "I'm not exactly an expert on physics."

I knew I had to wrap up the conversation fast. For one thing, Carrie, Heather, Beth, and I all swore that we would never date John Tucker ever again, plus we would resist the temptation to flirt with him. And secondly, well, I didn't think that I could take much more of the science-related metaphors.

I looked past him through the window and saw the girls walking towards the sidelines. Yes, my redemption. "Oh, here comes Heather and Molly. I have to go. It was nice talking to you again," I added, giving a small wave as I walked into the gym.

"See you later, Kate." John waved back and ran over to his friends.

"I hope there wasn't anything going on over here that would be of interest," Heather commented as she approached me.

"Yeah, John was leaning against the wall and everything," Molly added.

I couldn't help by roll my eyes. "You guys take everything so seriously. We were just talking."

"Yep, that's what they all say," Heather muttered, filling up a cup with water from the cooler.

"I don't understand you," I said back to her, "First you're all like, 'Ask out Scott,' and now you're all like, 'You were _so_ flirting with John.' I've had enough of Tucker, thanks."

"Alright, so you have a point," Heather responded, gulping down the water. "But I'm inclined to assume whatever I want."

"Oh, come on, Heather, don't judge." Molly crossed her arms and gave Heather a disapproving look.

I changed the subject while I had the chance. "Anyway, you guys were awesome in your practice. The routine looks really good."

"There are a few kinks in it here and there, but yeah. It's going well," Molly said, putting on her warm-up jacket. "Well, I have to be home for dinner by at least six-thirty, so I have to go. Catch you guys later." She gave us a wave and ran out of the gym.

"Dinner sounds pretty good to me, actually," Heather said after Molly had left, "Is your house up for dinner guests?"

I shrugged and replied, "Well, Mom and Mr. Conrad are going out to dinner tonight, so the house will be empty."

"Ugh, I still can't believe she's going out with that creep." Heather shuddered. "She deserves so much better than him."

"Well, it's something new. He's nice, really; you have to give him a chance. So are you coming over or not?"

"Of course I am. And I'll invite Carrie and Beth, too. That is if Carrie isn't off at some convention for nerds, or Beth isn't off screwing some guy-"

"Whoa, wait, when did I mention anything about Carrie or Beth?" I interrupted her.

Heather looked at me with a confused, almost mad kind of look. "Are you saying you don't want them to come over?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then call them up, duh!" Heather reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone, dialing a few digits and walking out of the gym.

I sighed in helplessness, following her as the amazing John Tucker scored a slam dunk.

---

"I am happy to announce that I haven't slept with a guy in two weeks," Beth announced to us after we ate a few TV dinners.

"Someone call the Book of World Records," Heather joked.

"Oh, shut up." Beth threw a pillow at her.

"So," Carrie turned to me, "any interesting encounters with 'the Other Tucker' today?"

"No, actually," I replied simply. It was the truth, too; that day in chemistry had only been note-taking, and there had been no time for talking.

"More like an interesting encounter with _the _Tucker," Heather emphasized, giving me a look tainted with attitude.

Beth raised an eyebrow. "Really, now?"

My sigh sounded irritated this time. "It was _no big deal_. We were just talking, I swear."

"About what, then?" Carrie asked, looking interested.

"He asked me about why I was...single..." I stopped, knowing exactly what they were going to think.

They all gave a wide-eyed expression and looked at each other. Oh, no, things were usually not good when they did that. I mentally slapped myself, thinking, _Bad move, very bad move..._

"Are you kidding me?" Carrie asked in amazement, "did it _just_ now occur to you that maybe he's interested again? I hope you didn't play along with his smooth-talking, he'll be all over you!"

"And we are _not_ letting that happen again!" Beth stressed, nodding determinedly.

"Okay, seriously, guys," I started, putting my hands up to stop anymore comments, "He asked why 'the legend' was single. I think it mean that he's put the past behind him by saying that. Besides, how could he ever look at me the same way after he found out what we did to him?"

"You have a point," Carrie said. The girls looked slightly disappointed.

I frowned and looked at them. "What's wrong?"

"Well..." Heather hesitated, "I don't know... I guess I sort of wanted to get into another plan like before."

"It was _so_ much fun teaching you all of those things and playing all of those tricks," Heather added.

"Yeah," Beth joined, "our lives seem kind of...boring compared to when we were playing around with the technology thingamajiggers and stuff."

Carrie glared at her as though she had just said something offensive. "I thought you'd be smart enough to know that they were simply cameras." Beth returned the glare. Carrie went on to say, "But I agree with them."

My expression turned into a surprised one. "You guys! You're telling me that you're _bored_ by making new friends? You know, because of your cliques kind of mixing and stuff?"

"But that's _normal_ kind of stuff," Beth whined.

"Well, actually, considering that our friends are so different, it kind of isn't," Carrie commented, "but I know what she means. We want something...adventurous."

"You don't think that making new friends is adventurous? Come on! It's like... trying new kinds of sushi at a Japanese restaurant!" I was full of metaphors lately it seemed.

Heather gave me an amused kind of look. "Honey, don't even try to come up with something smart like that. You'll get Beth all confused."

"Hey!" Beth protested, throwing another pillow at her. "You know I won't eat animals!"

Carrie rolled her eyes. "But anyway," she continued, "I guess we're up for doing something like that again."

"What? Destroying John Tucker _again_?" I looked at them, scared.

Carrie threw up her hands in exasperation. "Forget it. Just forget we said anything."

"Fine." I got up from my bed. "I have to go to the bathroom," I muttered as I walked over to the door.

As soon as I shut the bathroom door, the phone rang. Someone picked up after about four rings. I sighed, looking at myself in the mirror. My hair was messy, but it was a good kind of messy. I couldn't help but frown, though; my roots were starting to become really noticeable. Frowning made me notice that my lips were chapped, and-

I backed away from the mirror, trying to clear my head. I got too skeptical of myself if I looked in the mirror for too long. I would notice ever little, tiny, imperfect detail about myself, and that never felt good. I sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that night, and-

"Kate, are you okay in there?" Heather voice called from the other side of the door. She didn't sound concerned, necessarily, she sounded... amused. Something was up.

Then I realized: Mom was out with Mr. Conrad. Who had picked up the phone?

I went to the bathroom hastily and burst back into my room, finding the three girls trying to smother their giggles.

"Alright, what happened? I demand to know!" I crossed my arms and stared them down.

"Don't look at us like that, we just did you a huge favor," Carrie said slyly.

"Yeah," Heather chuckled, "who knew that Beth could do such a good impression of your voice?"

Now I was started to panic. "What did you do!? Who was on the phone!?"

In a voice that very much sounded like mine, Beth replied, "You, Kate Spencer, have a date with Scott Tucker."

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**And now the story kicks off! Just to let you know, Kate and Scott are not going to be the only focus of the story; I plan to include most of the other characters, too. Well, hopefully, haha.**

**(Thanks for telling me what Kate's last name was, guys, it wasn't up on IMDB when I first started writing this.)**

**Reviews, reviews, I love reviews. :-)**


	3. Great Expectations: Kate's POV

No Hidden Cameras

Chapter Three: "Great Expectations"

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I almost didn't believe them. I was _this close_ to not believing them. But I knew those three, and the smug looks on their faces were definitely genuine. I tried to figure out how to react without endangering myself. If I freaked out, screaming in complete joy (which was _exactly_ what my insides were doing) and they were joking, then they would _know_ that I liked him and never leave me alone about it. But if I pretended that I didn't like it, they might as well just call him back and say I changed my mind. If I played it cool...

"Oh, cool, guys."

They all looked at me with a "huh?" expression on their faces.

"Didn't you hear me?" Beth asked slowly. "I just told you that you have a date with Scott Tucker. Why aren't you freaking out?"

"Ruined your plan, didn't it? You're just saying that to trick me, aren't you? Sorry to spoil your fun, need some chocolate ice cream?" I couldn't help but smile, pleased with myself.

Carrie raised an eyebrow at me. "Kate, why would we do something stupid like that?"

"Check the Caller ID for yourself." Heather handed me the phone.

My heart almost jumped out of my chest when I saw the last name "Tucker" on the screen. My excited flinch was noticeable.

"Aha!" Carrie pointed at me in a satisfied accusation. "I _knew_ you would be thrilled about it! You can't keep a secret from us, you _so_ have a crush on him."

I wished the phone would've been bigger than my face, but there was no way to hide my bright red cheeks.

The girls all squealed with excitement. "You do! You do!" They jumped around like children on Christmas.

"So..." I began, regaining my composure. "What kind of date and when?"

"Tomorrow night at eight," Beth answered, her eyes glowing with anticipation, "some band concert."

My eyes widened. "You don't mean... the Cheap Trick concert!?"

"Yeah, that." Beth waved her hand as though it was no big deal. No big deal!?

"How in the _world_ did he get tickets for that!? We had both heard about it only last week, but it was too late to get tickets because they were sold out! Did he say?" A Cheap Trick concert with Scott Tucker? Dream come _true!_

"He didn't say," Beth said tonelessly, taking no interest.

"Oh, wow..." He must've have worked really hard to get those tickets! And he chose me to come with him, too! "Guys, this is starting to sound better than the yacht date with John."

The girls looked at me as though I was crazy. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Beth remarked. "Now come on! We have to plan your perfect outfit."

"I'll take care of that," Heather volunteered, walking over to my closet and thrusting the door open.

Carrie walked over to me and folded her hands in a pleading fashion. "Please, please, _please_ let us use the boob cam. Let us see! Come on, it'll be just like old times!"

"But I don't _want_ it to be like old times!" I exclaimed.

The room was silent as they all turned and stared at me.

"It's just... I don't want it to feel like it's a John Tucker thing. I don't want it to feel...fake. I want to do it on my own this time. You know, because it's actually real?" I gave them all a suspicious look. "Unless you three and him are _really_ planning to play some kind of trick on me."

"Ugh, Kate!" The three girls rolled their eyes.

"It's _not_ a trick, we swear!" Beth insisted. "We would've told him that you'd call him back, but we were afraid that you'd chicken out. We wanted to make sure that it was taken care of right away."

"What if I didn't really like him? I would've killed you," I retorted.

"Screw the 'what ifs', I already told you: Everyone knows you like each other," Heather called from the other side of the room.

"Well, how would you feel if... say, Tommy called while you were in the bathroom and we set you up on a date with him?" I was feeling crafty now.

Heather whirled around with a horrified look on her face. "Now _that _is a _completely _different story!" she roared. "You wouldn't _dare_ do that!"

"But it's technically the same situation if you think about it." I looked over at Carrie and Beth. They seemed highly amused.

"Puh-lease! I would've hurt you so bad... I would've hurt Tommy, too, for even _thinking_ about it." She turned back to my closet with a _hmph_ and continued to page through clothes.

"That's a shame. Because I'd say that he was definitely checking you out today at practice." And I wasn't lying, either.

This time, she slowly looked over her shoulder, her eyes wide. "You're kidding me, right?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, but as soon as he and John arrived, he seemed more interested in peering through the window instead of listening to John talking."

"Well, he could have very easily been checking out someone else," Heather concluded, turning back to the closet once more. "No need to assume, Kate."

"I'm inclined to assume whatever I want."

Oh, I was _so_ good.

---

The next day, chemistry class couldn't come fast enough. The clock seemed to be ticking unusually slow, especially compared to how fast my heart was beating. Finally, the bell rang, announcing a change of classes, and I hurriedly rushed off to chemistry.

Scott was waiting, leaning against the lab table looking just as nervous as I was.

"Hey," we both greeted at the same time, our tones breathy and awkward.

"So...are you excited about tonight?" Scott started, not looking at me. "You didn't sound all that excited on the phone."

_Ugh, Beth! _"Well, I was kind of tired. It didn't really register that it was _Cheap Trick_ until after I hung up. By the way, how _did_ you get those tickets?"

Scott laughed. "That's the reaction I was waiting for!"

"Really, tell me. I thought you said it was impossible."

"Well, when you're John Tucker's brother, things aren't necessarily impossible." He grinned. "Let's just say that John used a bit of his magic to get me VIP tickets."

I couldn't help but groan. "I have to say, that's kind of sad."

"Know what's sadder? The lady at the ticket stand was a fat, middle-aged woman with missing teeth." From the way he said it, it seemed as though that was the best part of the whole thing to him.

I was kind of surprised. "I can't believe he did that for you. You must have paid him a lot of money."

"You're telling me."

I laughed. I noticed that my nervous feeling was totally gone. I felt _comfortable_ around Scott; I didn't feel like I had to impress him or act a certain way like it had been with John. Heck, it was hard to believe that Scott and John were even _related_.

"So, I'll meet you there at around 7:45?" he asked.

I had to keep myself from frowning. "Sure," I said.

"Alright. Now, I think I'm ready to take some hardcore chemistry notes."

I gave a small chuckle for effect, getting out my notebook and turning to my own notes. I couldn't help but be confused. Was it _really_ a date, or were we going just as friends? Had my three friends jumped to conclusions? I mean, wouldn't he at _least_ offered me a ride or something? Or maybe he couldn't? So many questions were running through my head!

"Miss Spencer, is something wrong?"

My head snapped up from my daydream when I realized that I had been simply staring at my notebook without realizing it. I blinked a few times, shook my head no, and told Mr. Conrad, "No. Sorry, I kind of just... zoned out."

"Alright then." Mr. Conrad then went on to outline the subject matter for that day.

I let my eyes creep over towards Scott. My blue eyes met his brown ones. I hastily glanced back over to my notebook, letting my hair droop in front of my face so he couldn't see that I had turned red.

I smiled to myself. I couldn't wait for that night.

---

After letting the girls pick out my outfit and checking to make sure that they hadn't pinned any secret cameras on me, I stepped out of Carrie's car and into the parking lot of the concert arena. I started to walk away when I realized that Carrie hadn't driven off yet. I looked over my shoulder and yelled, "You can go now!" The car sped away with the echo of giggling girls trailing behind.

I shivered and hugged the sweater that I had brought along closer to me. It was cold for a spring evening. I was just about to walk towards the entrance when I heard a voice from behind me.

"It _is_ kind of cold, isn't it?"

I turned around to find Scott, his hands stuffed in his pockets. I felt myself smile uncontrollably. I was happy to see him. "Yeah, I guess so."

If Scott Tucker was anything like John Tucker, he would've come up with some smooth, clever line to put his arm around me. But Scott was nothing like John, and I liked it that way.

He simply gave me a nervous grin and casually wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer to him. "Let's go."

My cheeks flared and I immediately felt warmer as we walked towards the line. Maybe it _was_ a date after all! My insides were dancing inside until he had to let go of me to get the tickets. Unfortunately, afterwards it was slightly awkward to huddle together again. Why?

"We must be the youngest ones here," Scott whispered to me.

We seemed alone within the crowd of people lost in middle-age crisis. We definitely got a few odd looks, as though we didn't belong. The person taking the tickets at the front of the line even had to try hard to not ask questions. But I didn't care. I was on a date with Scott Tucker.

We pushed our way to the front row seats, the VIP section. We were the only ones in the row save the screaming, fifty-year-old couple on the other end. We couldn't help but chuckle to ourselves; it had become amusing.

The concert was awesome, naturally. Even though the guys of Cheap Trick were getting on in their years, they still knew how to put on a good show. Scott and I sang along and danced alone for most of the concert, but things finally changed for my liking when they started playing "I Want You to Want Me".

"This is my favorite song," Scott screamed to me over the cheering.

"Why?" I shouted back.

"Don't you remember?" He took my hand and laced his fingers through it. "It's the song that you caught me singing the first time we met."

"How could I not forget?" I panicked. I didn't want to sound too sappy. So I quickly added, "You were singing it pretty badly."

"Aw, come on!" he insisted. "I wasn't _that _bad."

I gave him a grin, squeezing his hand. It was rough and calloused, probably from playing the guitar. We swung our hands back and forth to the beat of the song, screaming the lyrics as loud as we could; and, yes, we sounded pretty bad. But to me, it was the most beautiful thing in the world at that moment.

We laughed as the song ended, our voices hoarse and our breaths quick. The cheering continued for an encore, but Scott had me locked in a gaze. It was impossible to look away, and I _would not_ let anything ruin the moment.

The next thing I knew our lips were inches away from each other. I started to close my eyes when suddenly-

"Oh, goodness! I'm so sorry, so very sorry! I must've lost my grip on it!"

Within three seconds, I went from being _this close_ to kissing Scott Tucker to being covered in diet soda. The woman behind me who had accidentally spilled it all over me kept apologizing over and over, but I didn't want to hear it. My perfect moment had been stolen away by a large diet soda. And my head was starting to hurt.

Scott threw off his jacket and wrapped it around me, leading me towards the exit. "Come on, they're a bunch of old guys, and they're not up for an encore anyway. We'll beat the crowd, too."

I was trying so hard not to cry as Scott lead me out of the arena and back towards the parking lot. He was trying his best to cheer me up, but even though he was trying to stay calm on the outside, I could tell that he was spazzing out on the inside, trying to figure out what to do.

"You smell... diet-licious?" he tried, giving me a pathetic-looking grin.

"Don't." My voice cracked as I said it. "Just don't."

"I'm sorry," he said, finally giving into a downtrodden look. "Here, I'll drive you home."

It should've made me feel better, but it only made me feel worse. He _could've_ picked me up to take me here. Why didn't he? My questions were going to drive me insane if I hadn't gone insane already.

The car was silent on the way home. My perfect night had been ruined. My expectations had been so high, and now they were crushed. Whoever that lady was... If I was ready to destroy anyone, it was her. _That lady must die,_ I thought to myself. For a moment, I was amused. Then my head felt another jerk of pain.

I wallowed on the corner of my seat, staring out the window at the blurs of the outside night. I could feel Scott glance over at me every so often, but the stilled silence in the car told him not to say anything.

When we rolled up to the front of my house, I took a deep, calming breath and said, "You know, I really _did_ have fun tonight. Thank you. Really, I mean it." It was difficult to crack a smile, even just a small one.

"Well... I'm glad. Okay, more like relieved, actually." He leaned back against his seat.

So much for the goodnight kiss, too. Wow, this was turning out horribly. "Goodnight," I said robotically, "And thanks for your letting me use your jacket." I shrugged off his jacket, stepped out of the car, and slammed the door. The car didn't roll away until I was on my front porch.

When I touched the doorknob, the sharp pain from my head seemed to electrocute me on my scalp. That's when I realized that it was my hairclip. I reached up and pulled it out. "Stupid, goddamn thing," I muttered to myself, "This night couldn't get any-"

Worse.

A camera.

I threw the hairclip down, shattered it with my foot, walked into the house, and slammed the door behind me.

----------------------------------------------------------

**Poor Kate. Haha. It's 4:30 AM and I'm writing. I must be crazy.**

**Anyways, you know what I'm going to say. Review, duh!**


	4. Vulnerable Eyes: Kate's POV

No Hidden Cameras

Chapter Four: Vulnerable Eyes

----------------------------------------------

The chocolate ice cream was gone by the next day. I spent all day in my pajamas watching soap operas. Heather, Beth, and Carrie each called me a million times, but I never picked up. They filled up my answering machine with pointless messages that usually included "Where are you?" or "Are you mad at us?". And not one of the messages was from Scott. He probably thought I was a loser because I acted so cold and distant to him on the way home, I thought to myself, I should've taken it humorously. But I hated having regrets, so I tried to junk up my brain with the soaps.

Since I had crashed in my room after showering the night before, I still hadn't told Mom what had happened. I poured it all out to her when she got home from work, and she comforted me like she always did when I was sad. She told me that she didn't think Scott was mad at me, just unsure of what to do. As for the hidden camera, she wanted to call their parents. I was extremely against that, thinking about how much trouble they were going to get in. A part of me wanted to get them in that kind of trouble, but the reasonable part of me knew how much they would hate me for that. I didn't know _what_ to do.

So I went to church on Sunday.

When we got home, I was feeling much better. However, Mom wasn't exactly pleased with our answering machine being filled up. "Maybe I should get you your own line," she said, frowning as she went through deleting them. Mr. Conrad leaned against the counter in amusement. He didn't know exactly what was going on (I made Mom swear not to tell him), but he looked as though he was dying to know.

"Call them back, don't leave them dangling in their misery," Mom continued.

"They already know everything that happened, what's the point?" I didn't want my good mood from church to go away.

"Well, you could at least call them to scold them."

I rolled my eyes. "You _know_ they're not going to care."

"If they're not going to care, why are you friends with them?" Mr. Conrad asked.

"Because they're there for me when I need someone to listen, and they're fun to hang out with," I replied. "Everyone has their negative qualities."

He met my response with a shrug.

I figured it was going to be better to face them then instead of at school, so back in my room, I deleted all of the voicemails from my cell phone and decided to call Heather first.

"You finally called me, bitch!" Heather exclaimed when she answered, sounding half-irritated, yet half-amused at the same time.

"Let's just say that the events of Friday night didn't leave me in the best mood," I retorted.

A pause. "Carrie did it."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Please, she may have provided the camera, but you all were in it. I know you guys too well."

"Alright, but it was _way_ too tempting. You would have done it, too."

"Not really, actually."

Another pause. "Well, anyway, if you want me to go find the chick that spilled the soda on you and kick her ass, I'll be _glad _to."

I laughed again. "Now _that's _tempting, but I must resist."

"We were freaking out when you guys were about to kiss-"

"Please spare me," I interrupted her. I didn't feel like reliving that embarrassing moment.

"Well, the camera got snowy after Scott started walking you out of the stadium. Did anything happen after that?"

"If you call the most awkward car silence ever eventful."

"Aw, I'm sorry, Kate."

"It's okay. He _did_ give me his jacket." I hadn't thought about that detail until just then.

"How sweet! I told you he likes you," Heather said giddily. "If you were with John, _he_ probably would've kicked that chick's ass."

"Probably." Heather never failed to make me smile, even in a situation like this.

"Emergency get-together at your place?"

I sighed. "Alright then."

"I'll save you the phone minutes by calling them myself," she offered.

"See you in an hour, then," I said.

"Make that a half-hour." And she hung up.

---

The girls were seated in their usual circle by my bed, trying to feed me several chocolate items they had brought along. I disappointed them by explaining that I had already had my chocolate splurge, and they simply started snacking on the food themselves.

"So what are you going to do?" Heather asked me after they had apologized for the millionth time.

"I have no idea," I admitted. I had thought about it for quite a bit, but I didn't have a clue about what to do next.

"Well..." Carrie pondered, "think about it this way..."

"In other words," Heather said, "think about it Carrie's way."

The blonde sent a glare to Heather. "Anyways, as I was saying before that _rude_ interruption..."

Heather only sneered.

"...The Cheap Trap concert or whatever-"

"_Cheap Trick_," I corrected her.

"Yeah, whatever, the concert was like the perfect date. Perfect dates make everything need to go exactly right. Casual dates don't need to be that way. Well, it's still nice if it does go perfectly, but there's less stress."

"Wow, she _actually_ has a point," Heather said, incredulous.

"Of course I do!" Carrie smiled with pride. The girl could be quite a narcissist sometimes.

"I do agree with you, Carrie," I replied. "So what are you suggesting?"

"Well, since he was the one that asked you on a date, I'd say it's your turn to ask," she replied. "Plus, it'll show him that you're still interested, even though it didn't turn out the way you wanted it to."

We all looked at Beth, who hadn't participated once in the conversation. "Beth?"

She looked up from mixing her chocolate pudding around and around. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I agree."

"Well, Kate? What do you say? Give it another shot?" Carrie looked at me.

I sighed, giving in. "Okay, but promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"NO HIDDEN CAMERAS!"

---

I decided on a cute little café where Mr. Conrad had first taken Mom. Since things had pretty much hit it off from there, I figured that maybe there was a spark of good luck about the place (it was called "Penny's Café" after all). It was very casual, and Mom told me that the tea there was delicious. It sounded like the perfect casual date.

Oh dear, I thought to myself, I've turned a casual date into the perfect date! But my three friends all thought it was a great idea, and they would settle for no other plan.

Chemistry class on Monday turned out to be nothing like I predicted. I expected awkward silence between Scott and me, but it turned out to be the complete opposite.

When I walked into class, Scott had been staring at the doorway, and he quickly averted his eyes when I walked through. His demeanor seemed to grow more and more nervous with each step that I took towards him, and by the time I reached our lab station, it looked as though he was trying to keep himself from shaking.

"S-so," he stammered, daring to give a slight grin, "I see you're a little drier than Friday night."

I was glad that _he_ was taking it humorously. "Oh, you've resolved to teasing me, I see how it is." I had no choice but to joke along with him.

"What did you expect?" Scott seemed much more relaxed now that he knew I wasn't mad at him.

I knew it would put him on the spot, but I couldn't control the next thing that flew out of my mouth. "Well, I expected as least a phone call, maybe."

His smile faded and he began nervously tapping his pencil on the table. "Well, you see, my cell phone died and couldn't find the charger, and John spent the whole weekend having phone sex with his myriad of girlfriends, and-"

"Why don't you spare me the completely unnecessary lie filled with things we would both rather not think about and just skip to the real reason." I tried to fill it with as much humor as I could.

"...Or maybe just I didn't know what to say once I called you," he answered sheepishly.

I smiled. "It's okay, it's okay. It's not like I bothered to call you, either."

He returned the smile full-heartedly this time.

"Alright, class," Mr. Conrad announced, "I know you all must've had quite an eventful weekend to chat about," (he said this with his eyes right on me), "but Monday has arrived and it's time to get working."

As he began the day's lecture, the sound of paper being turned and shuffled creating background noise, I saw Scott begin vigorously writing. I frowned, for Mr. Conrad hadn't written anything on the board yet.

Then he passed a note to me.

_Sparks are flying from electrical pylons  
Snakes and ladders running up and down her nylons  
Ready to experiment, you're ready to be burned  
If it wasn't for some accidents then some would never ever learn_

It was from Elvis Costello's "Chemistry Class".

I looked up at him, my lips half-parted in pleasant surprise and my eyes showing that I was completely vulnerable to him. He stood there, looking straight into them with a calm patience for my reaction. It was the most romantic thing he had ever done.

I took the paper, wrote, and slid it back to him.

_Penny's Café, today, right after school?_

It was impossible for him to hide the smile that spread across his face when he read it. Within two seconds, he had written down his reply and it was back in front of me.

_Meet me in the back parking lot._

I gave him a smile and started taking the notes that Mr. Conrad was writing on the board. He followed suit and didn't see as I tucked the note into my pocket. For the rest of the day, every time my fingers lingered on it, I would smile a secret smile, knowing that my dreams had not been crushed yet.

----------------------------------------------------

**Oh my gosh, I'm _so_ sorry for the delay of this chapter! I didn't mean to have writer's block so long! Haha. I'm pleased with the reviews that I have received so far, but I feel obligated to reply to one.**

**GabbyM: I'm glad you liked my story, but I'm afraid that I'm not a John/Kate fan in the least bit, so I'm sorry to disappoint you with the news that I have no intention of turning it into a John/Kate. I hope you keep reading, though!**

**I must tell you that I was so pleasantly surprised to find an Elvis Costello song entitled "Chemistry Class" as I was scrolling through lyric titles. (I was hoping to find one either by him or Cheap Trick that had to do with a café, but I _had_ to seize this opportunity!) Oh, the funny coincidences of life!**

**Reviews, please! The next chapter is going to be in Scott's POV!**


	5. A Penny for Your Thoughts: Scott's POV

No Hidden Cameras

Chapter Five: A Penny for Your Thoughts

-----------------------------------------

Ever since the moment I laid eyes on Kate, my whole life had been completed sucked into a whirlwind of change.

It had been hard to gain much self-esteem with John always being on the pedestal and me in his shadow. John showed his need to be the best in everything at an early age, and by the time I was born, it was already too late to even try to compete. I didn't have much of a desire, anyway; from the very start, I was more independent and preferred to be alone.

Mom and Dad were always so proud of John, and I was basically the baby forgotten in the dust. Childhood instinct made me fight for attention at first, but I quickly learned that I most certainly didn't want to automatically become another cheerleader for John. So I dived into music.

Over the years, the nickname "Little Tucker" became my label. I was a Tucker, but I wasn't_ John_ Tucker. Heck, I doubt that even twenty people in the school know that my name is Scott. I eventually grew not to care. In fact, it became kind of fun to surprise people that I was John Tucker's brother.

And while an expertise in music became my _forte_, it most certainly wasn't recognized. I picked up guitar and taught myself since my parents were too busy taking John to basketball practices or making sure that everything was in perfect order for his many dates. And even after all of that was completed, they still had to work. So I grew up alone.

Basically, I expected it to be that way for all of high school. _Maybe college_, I'd tell myself. I swore that I would never go to the same college as John and relive high school all over again. It's probably not likely to happen anyway. He's looking to be on a star basketball team, I'm planning to work in the music industry.

As for girls? Please. Early in my childhood, I formed an outlook that girls were only for John and not for me. If anything, I could get the "sloppy seconds," as John put it. I didn't care for any of the girls that John picked anyway, and I was always too into my music to even think about looking for a girl of my own.

And then Kate had to have detention that one day...

At first, I felt completely stupid for liking a girl after only talking to her for two minutes. I felt like, well, a John Tucker. But something told me that, even though it was the first time, I had it _right_.

That's why it hurt so much to see Kate pick John over me. It was like, gosh, does he have to be better than me in _everything? _I don't get a single chance at all? It was maddening.

But the other thing was that she had _said_ he wasn't her type. I couldn't believe that she was actually like all of the other girls in the school and had let him cast his spell over her. I thought that maybe I was wrong about her. But when I would talk to her in chemistry class and stuff like that, I knew that I hadn't been. And that's when I was starting to get the feeling that something wasn't right.

I didn't know how to look at Kate after my suspicions were confirmed and when I found out that the whole going-out with John thing was just a hoax. It made me want to completely forget about her, but of course, _that_ was impossible. I mean, just look at her. But on the other hand, I can't believe that she's made friends with the likes of Beth, Heather, and Carrie... But that's not my decision. She was the only girl I had ever met who I could relate to, and there was _no way_ I was letting that opportunity escape.

So maybe John Tucker had rubbed off on me a bit. Well, enough that I could work up the courage to ask Kate to that concert with me. But then it had to completely fall apart like that...

I'm trying to put all of that behind me. I'm focusing on the future. Thanks to Kate Spencer, there's going to be a new Tucker for people to talk about. And this time, it's not going to be only because he's John Tucker's little brother.

---

I waited, leaning against my car nervously, fumbling with my keys. My eyes darted right and left, scanning the crowd for the sight of Kate's blonde hair. I was hoping that she would get there before John showed up, for I hadn't told him yet. I didn't want to know what he would say, and I wasn't about to find out.

And then my luck had to ditch me again as John's usual crowd came into my view, followed by my brother himself.

I cursed silently in my head as he spotted me, bid farewell to his friends, and headed my way, just as Kate came with Beth, Heather, and Carrie from the other door. Beth waved goodbye and practically sprinted away (probably to meet her fuck-of-the-week), but Heather and Carrie buzzed around her with anticipation in their eyes. I sighed, knowing that they probably knew every little detail about what had happened.

"Hey there, little bro," John called to me as he approached. I raised an eyebrow, for John almost never addressed me as his little brother in public except for when he really needed something.

"You're acknowledging my existence?" I spat back at him. I glanced over at Kate, trapped in the last-minute useless advice by her two companions. Her expression stated two words: _Help me!_

John chuckled. "You're usually either in the computer lab or going home by now. Something must be up."

Kate found me with her eyes. They brightened up for a split second and then darkened when she saw John. They sent the message that she knew it wasn't the time to come over yet.

"So is something up?"

"No, I'm just waiting for Paul to bring me a CD mix he compiled for me." It was an extremely pathetic lie, especially since Paul had been sick that day, but John wasn't in-tune with the news of those so far down the social ladder.

"Oh, well, go tell him to shove it up his ass," John retorted extremely loudly. I glared at him, but then noticed that another group of admirers were coming over. I rolled my eyes. What a lousy way to cover up talking to me.

"Well, gotta go, loser." John laughed as the group followed him outside. As they were walking, I heard one girl ask, "Why were you talking to him?" followed by, "Oh, just making sure he's doing my homework for tomorrow." I flipped him the bird behind his back. Sometimes I hated him so much.

I turned around to be surprised by Kate standing there. "What was that all about?" she asked. All of my anger immediately subsided, and I was back to being nervous again. Happy to see her, but still nervous.

"Just John being an asshole," I grumbled.

"Oh," she replied, "nothing out of the ordinary."

I laughed. "You dated him."

"It wasn't real!" she reminded me for about the twentieth time. She stuck to the story about her just trying to pay the retribution for what he did to Heather, Beth, and Carrie, but there was no doubt in my mind that she believed it was real for a time. It made me angry, but I couldn't ignore the truth.

"Well, this time, you're with the right Tucker on a real date." _Oh, why the hell did I just say that?_

"Aww!" she giggled, much to my relief. "How very true. Well, should we go?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," I stuttered, opening the door for her. She gave me a bright smile and scooted inside. I glanced around the area. Nobody seemed to have noticed her getting in my car. Hoping that I wasn't missing something, I climbed into the driver's seat and, still slightly shaking, put the key into the ignition.

As I was about to turn the key to start up the car, Kate set her hand on mine. I could feel the chill that shook throughout my body as she touched me.

"_Relax_," she said, almost in a whisper. Her smile was kind and soothing. And while I usually would've been embarrassed out of my mind, I wasn't. I became calm.

I started the car and took off towards the café.

---

"My mom said that the tea here is _really _good," she told me as we sat down at a table. I felt slightly out-of-place in my dark jacket and messy look against the bright colors and cheap flower wallpaper of the place. I looked across the table at Kate, who was looking down the menu, and saw that she didn't fit in either. She was...classier than this.

"You have a menu, too, you know," she said kind of slyly, glancing up over the top of her menu. That's when I realized that I had been staring at her the whole time, so I felt my face go hot.

But I wasn't about to let my guard down too early. I gave myself a little push and replied, "I'd insert some cheesy pick-up line about how you're what I want to order or something, but I don't know one."

She laughed, and I felt slightly better. I picked up the menu in front of me and glanced over it. Nothing I wanted, plus I didn't have much of an appetite. But I realized that I could actually go for some tea.

Some hyper waitress came over and asked what we wanted. Kate asked if I wanted the tea, so I gave a mumbled "yes." She didn't want anything else either, so the waitress walked away, leaving us in uncomfortable silence.

I decided to jump right into the one question that had been bugging me. "So tell me something, Kate Spencer," I began, "why is it that you never talk about the places you used to live? Or old friends? You must've had a lot of them."

Her expression changed to a darker one. _Shit, did I just screw up already?_ I thought helplessly to myself.

"What makes you say that?" she asked rather meekly.

"Well, I mean..." I hesitated, feeling myself blush again, "you're so...incredibly nice and sweet and beautiful and..." _Oh, shit, I _did not_ just say that..._

She stared at me for a moment, also looking unsure if I had really said it.

I cleared my throat. "I mean, you seem like a person that everyone would want to know."

She gave a half-hearted chuckle, seeming to have put the matter behind her. "Gosh, I wish. I had almost _no_ friends in all the places that I used to live."

I was literally shocked. "Why?"

The hyper waitress came back with classic teacups filled with hot water and set teabags next to the matching saucers. "Enjoy!" she practically squeaked, and Kate proceeded to making the tea. I was too distracted by wanting to know Kate's answer to bother with mine.

"Well, you see, let's just say that, just like you, I was always in someone else's shadow."

I frowned, confused.

She smiled at me. "My mom."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why?"

Laughing, she replied, "You'd know why if you met her. She's the reason that we move around so much. It's because she's, to put it bluntly, hot. She gets a few boyfriends, they all break-up with her, and then we move to put it all behind us."

"Wow." I had this strange urge to laugh, because it was actually so ridiculous that it was funny, but I knew that I shouldn't because all of that moving obviously had an effect on Kate.

"So yeah, all of the guys my age would always end up wanting my mom over me. And all the girls my age hated me because all the guys they liked wanted my mom. Sounds confusing, I know, but that's the way it went. So after awhile, I just didn't bother trying anymore, which actually made it worse because then no one _ever_ noticed me." She paused to take a sip of her tea. "If you think about it, the only reason why I've gotten popular is because I happened to get caught in the middle of that volleyball incident during gym with Beth, Heather, and Carrie. Everything else, well, it was mostly their doing."

I hated to admit it, but she was right about that. "But hey, if it wasn't for that, you would've never met me."

Her smile brightened. "That's true. And then you wouldn't have had the initiative to become my lab partner in Chemistry."

"That's ri – hey! That was totally because of the other accident with – "

"Yeah, yeah, sure, sure," she laughed. "But what about you Scott Tucker?"

"What about me?"

"I understand that you've been in a _huge_ shadow all your life, but I don't see why you could have made a different name for yourself. I mean..." she suddenly became very shy, "you're quite good-looking yourself."

I hadn't expected _that_. Not only was I feeling completely embarrassed because I knew that she had heard me when I said that she was beautiful, but because no one had _ever_ told me that I was _any_ good-looking. _I _didn't even think I was!

"Why do you look so surprised?" She was trying her best to get her confidence back up, but she also seemed rather embarrassed.

"Well...'cause I'm not." I spoke the truth.

She looked shocked. "What are you _talking _about? Scott, you're a _Tucker_, for goodness' sake!"

"Just because I'm related to John hasn't proved that I'm as good as him," I grumbled.

"Good? He's the furthest thing from good!"

"Tell that to the million and one girls he's dated. And hey, you believed it for a little while."

"Because I..." she seemed frustrated with herself. "I...was...stupid, okay? I fell under his little spell or whatever, but he's barely changed, not to mention that he's a complete idiot. You're a million times better than him!" Then it was _her_ turn to realize what she had just said and blush.

I was completely lost for words. I mean, it's like...after being told that I'm not as good or as cool as someone for my entire life and then being told that I'm a million times better than them...it's a bit hard to believe.

We sat their in really uncomfortable silence for awhile, until she looked up at me and said, "You should probably make your tea before your water gets cold, because it's really, really good."

And I laughed.

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**Author's note: Oh-em-gee, I updated! Amazing, right? I'm _soooooooooo_ sorry for the wait, but this school year's been pretty busy, not to mention that I had no idea what I was going to write for that little conversation they have.**

**So yeah, if you give me tons of good reviews, I _might_ just get on the next chapter a bit more quickly, but no guarantees, okay?**


	6. Life Is Like: Scott's POV

No Hidden Cameras

Chapter Six: Life Is Like A MySpace Survey

------------------------------------

Time always passed too quickly with Kate. Whether it was Chemistry class or a simple chat in the hall, I'd always look at the clock after what seemed like a few minutes and discover that it had been fifteen. In this case, it had felt like a few seconds, but it really had been an hour. Why couldn't it work the other way around?

Kate and I had talked for awhile (and yes, that tea was really good), and once that hour passed, she took a peek at her watch and told me that she had to get home to do some homework. I was disappointed and cursing at the clock, but it still couldn't make my smile waver.

As we approached my car, I opened the door for her again and presented myself as though I was her chauffer. "Your Highness."

She laughed as she gave me a curtsy. "Why, thank you!" And she scooted in once again in her cute little manner.

Oh dear god, I did _not_ just use the term "cute little." This girl has truly made me crazy.

I rushed around to the driver's seat and was actually able to turn on the car without trouble. I backed out of the parking lot and pulled onto the street.

"So anyway," Kate began, picking up from where our conversation had left off, "Now relay to me the definition of stoichiometry."

...Yeah, about that.

"I have no fucking clue," I replied, smirking.

She sighed in exasperation. "I just told you three minutes ago! How do you expect to pass the quarter if you can't keep definitions in your head for more than three minutes?"

"That's why I _don't_ expect to pass the quarter."

She crossed her arms and almost gave a pout. "I'm going to tell you this right now, Scott Tucker: I put schoolwork before social life."

"Trust me, Kate Spencer, your _A_s speak for themselves." I had never been more comfortable flirting with someone in my life. Hell, I couldn't even remember the last time I had flirted with another girl, period.

"Oh, shut up," she quickly answered, blushing slightly. "Well, okay, let's brainstorm ideas about how to make you remember things better!"

I stopped at a red light and looked at her, straight in the eye. "Kate, let's just say that I didn't accept your invitation to talk about Chemistry."

He eyes flickered downward as she fiddled with her nails. "I...I know."

"So...why do you keep bringing it up?"

"That I don't know." Was she just as nervous as I was? Had she been this nervous the whole time? If she had been, she was a hell of a lot better at it that I was.

"Well..." The green light came at the perfect moment to turn away. "I want to hear about, well, _you_."

I didn't have to look at her to know that she was blushing. "We've talked about me. What we haven't talked about is _you_."

"There's nothing to know about me," I replied instinctively, almost bitterly.

"That," she began, "is bullshit."

I raised an eyebrow as I looked over at her. "Oooh, Kate Spencer cursing, she's serious now."

She smiled, even though she sternly stated, "I really _am_ serious, Scott. Come on, there _has_ to be something to find underneath 'the Other Tucker.'"

So maybe she was right. Problem was, I didn't even know what it was myself. I turned back to the road as I replied, "I don't know what to tell you."

"Oh, come on now." She sounded keenly interested.

"I dunno... Ask random questions. Not like, vague shit, though. Or deep shit, I don't know anything about that kind of stuff."

She laughed. "Alright then. We'll start with the basics."

"Great, so now I have a walking, talking MySpace survey, do I?"

_That_ got her going. "Is that all I am to you, Scott Tucker?"

I looked over at her with my most sincere expression and answered, "Of course not."

She went pink again as she looked down at her nails once more. One chipped, and I could hear her quietly curse to herself as I turned back to the traffic again.

"Full name."

"Scott Lawrence Tucker."

"Lawrence?"

"Some lost uncle's name."

"Haha, okay. Astrological sign?"

I gave her an amused glance. "_That's_ the _second_ question?"

"If my mom was asking these questions, it would've been the first. She's a horoscope junkie."

"Okay then..."

"Well?"

"Taurus."

"I'm a Virgo, that means we're compatible!"

I decided to go with awkward silence as a response to that comment.

"Sorry, I guess my mom has rubbed off on me. Anyways, favorite color?"

"Red."

"Why?"

"What kind of question is that? Can _you_ even answer that question? I just...like it."

"Okay, okay, jeez. Favorite food?"

"Who the fuck can actually pick?"

"Good point. Sun or moon?"

"You really are starting to sound like a MySpace survey. Moon."

"Who really does it better, blondes or brunettes?"

"Okay, this is where I click the 'back' button."

She burst into laughter again, and oh, I never felt so proud of myself in my life. "Scott Tucker, you are something else. You're _supposed_ to pick blondes because _I'm_ a blonde. Duh! Didn't John teach you anything?"

"Fuck John."

"No thank you."

"Lame."

"Yeah, I know."

I stopped at a stop sign and we grinned at each other, which just evolved into laughter. We were amazing together. Absolutely amazing.

I rolled on past the blur of houses as we near the Spencers', dread building up inside of me as we passed each one. I didn't want this to end yet.

Kate started gathering her stuff together as I turned onto her street. I stopped the car right in front of her house and sat back.

"So..."

"Scott," she began, looking at me, "I had a really great time."

I grinned. "You're the one who asked me, so _I'm_ supposed to be the one to say that."

"Oh, so suddenly _you're_ the expert?"

"That's not expertise, that's just _common sense_."

And we grinned at each other again.

"Well...I better go," she said, and she suddenly looked really nervous. "I guess...I guess I'll see ya..."

Just as I was about to let her open the door and escape from me, I grabbed her hand, the one that had the chipped nail on it.

"Don't think you're getting away so easy, Kate Spencer."

She looked back at me, half-surprised, but also half-confused, and that's when I went in for the kill: I placed one, big kiss right on her lips.

And this spark just seemed to burst between us, as though my body had been shocked by one million volts of electricity. It only lasted a split second, though, for as soon as I realized that I was actually _kissing_ Kate Spencer, I pulled away not only in apprehension, but disbelief. Like...I was only supposed to _dream_ about this during Chemistry class as I looked at her, not actually _live_ it.

Her eyes were wide when I lifted my eyelids, for she looked absolutely stunned. I was surprised at my own initiative, not to mention that I had _totally_ just pulled a John Tucker move.

"See ya, Kate," I managed to pull together.

"B-bye..."

She grabbed her stuff and scurried out the door, slamming it behind her and running in a bee-line to her front porch. I started pulling away, but when I looked back, I could see her cheering and doing a little dance.

---

My insides were doing there own little dance all the way back home. I pulled into the driveway and past one of the garage doors like my body was on auto-pilot and my mind was in a dream. I turned off the car and sat there for a little while, turning the past couple hours around in my mind, and wishing, hoping, _praying_ that John somehow hadn't found out about it.

I grabbed my backpack and my keys and headed inside...

...Only to be caught into a giant headlock.

"Scott Lawrence Tucker! What the hell is going on between you and Kate!? Tell me right now!"

I couldn't help but groan. Hearing my dreadful middle name twice in one day was too much for me. "And why in the world would you assume that something is going on between me and Kate?"

"The grapevine. Duh. Now tell me!"

"Get the fuck off me first, and then maybe we'll talk. Guy can't even step into his own house without being attacked."

He released me and crossed his arms as I cracked my neck. I walked over to the fridge and I could hear John's sneakers squeak on the tile behind me.

"So what's up? Spill."

"Nothing's up," I replied calmly and collectively as I poured myself a glass of milk.

"Then explain the lip gloss on your lips."

I froze.

"Either you've dropped so low as to embarrass me by becoming a drag queen, or you were making-out with Kate Spencer." Quietly, he added, "I _recognize_ that lip gloss."

With my voice as sarcastic as possible, I retorted, "Actually, I'm gay, John."

"Gee, never would've guessed. Cut the bullcrap! Now come on!"

I turned away from him as I placed the milk back into the fridge and quietly said, "We didn't _make-out_."

The kitchen began to echo with hysterical laughter as he slapped me on the back. "My little brother kissing The Legendary Kate Spencer! Oh, man, that is just about the funniest thing I've _ever_ heard."

"Shut the fuck up, it's not your business."

"You're my little brother, and, more importantly, I'm John Tucker. So of course it's my business."

I rolled my eyes. "Right."

"I'll tell you who told me about it if you give me the details."

...Now that was an offer I was willing to contemplate.

Silence, and then: "Then you also have to promise not to tell the world. Not just for my sake, but for Kate's sake, too."

"Psht, she deserves it after what she did to me."

I looked John Tucker right in the eye, and he couldn't hide that he was slightly intimidated by my boldness. "You still have feelings for Kate and you always will, even if you won't admit it. So shut up. If anything, I'd say you're _jealous_ of me."

"Jealous of _you_? HA! That's a good one. As for liking Kate, um, you _have_ noticed the several used condoms in the trash, haven't you?"

I winced at this. "Yes, I have been an unfortunate victim of that. But just because you've fucked more than half of the female population at our school doesn't mean that you still don't have feelings for her."

"And just because I've fucked more than half of the school population doesn't mean that I have a million STDs, either!"

"...How in the world did that counter my point?"

"...Didn't it?"

"No."

"Oh. Well...for the record, I don't."

"Bullshit."

"Believe what you want."

I rolled my eyes again. "Admit that you still like Kate. Even if just a _little_."

"Fine, she's hot, okay?"

I narrowed my eyes.

He sighed. "Okay, well...she was the first girl to really have me whipped like that, you know? So...so how could I not? You know where I'm coming from?"

"Glad to see you admitted it anyway."

He came back to his senses. "Okay, details."

I shrugged. "There aren't many. Um...met in detention, got to know each other during Chemistry class, got closer... She was the other person I took to the Cheap Trick concert, and today we just went to a café for some tea after school. We talked, and we had a quick goodbye kiss. That's all. Really."

"I flirted with that ugly chick so you could go to some concert with _Kate Spencer_? I deserve more money for that!"

"Yeah right, you wish."

He sighed as he studied me for a minute, trying to discern if I had left anything out. But I _definitely_ wasn't going to tell him about how incredibly jealous I was of him when he was "dating" Kate. Nor the whole soda disaster.

"That's it?"

"Pretty much. Now who told you?"

"Beth."

My mouth dropped half-open in surprise. "_Beth?_ As in slut Beth? Vegan Beth? Kate's friend Beth?"

"Yep."

I couldn't believe it. Weren't Kate's friends supposed to be super-secret about things involving Kate? And why was she telling _John_ of all people? He's supposed to be the _enemy_!

"Are you fucking her again or something?"

"No! If anyone has STDs, it's probably her. Anyway, she randomly left me a voicemail, telling me that you were going out with Kate, and-"

"We're not _going out_, we're just...dating."

It was John's turn to narrow his eyes. "Yeah. Sure."

I felt my cheeks got hot, even though I had spoken the truth. It wasn't _official_, so to speak. "_Anyway._"

"Anyway, she added that she thought that I would 'find it interesting.'" He shrugged. "I have no fucking clue why should would tell me that."

Neither did I. "Weird. I guess I'll ask Kate about it. Thanks for telling me, though."

"No problem, bro." He rustled my hair. "Tell me when you get some action, won't you? I want to hear in-detail about how tight her little pu-"

"–That will be enough for today, John." And with that, I headed upstairs to my guitar.

"Hey, if you two get it on, it would be killing two birds with one stone!"

That was followed by a loud slam of my bedroom door.

----------------------------------------------------

**...I'm kind of **_**scared**_** to get the reviews now, considering that it's been, oh I don't know, about seven months since I've updated? Yeah, about that. I won't lie: I suffered some major writer's block for this story. And to be honest, I really don't know when the next chapter is going to come along. All I ask is for your patience.**

**But what really got me writing again was that I went back and read over all of your great reviews. Seriously.**

**So...I think my message is implied here. Haha. Oh, and I apologize for the cursing, but I write whatever sounds right, what can I say?**

**You guys are amazing! Thanks for being so patient!!!**


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